Maksim Chmerkovskiy Replacing Derek Hough on 'DWTS'

October 17, 2009 04:10:25 GMT

While Derek is still recuperating from the flu he gets, Maksim will be training the celebrity whom he didn't get along with in the beginning of the competition.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy gets another screen time on "Dancing with the Stars" after Derek Hough pulls out of the competition due to severe flu. Derek made the announcement through his Twitter whilst updating his health condition, writing "At the docs for 3 hrs today ... Had a temprature of 104 ... Had an IV in my arm for 2hrs ... Maks is steppin up for me helpin jo."

Derek and Joanna Krupa were one of the highest scorer pairs this week with the Lambada. They got 26 out of 30 from the judges and were pronounced safe for another week. During the particular routine, Derek indeed took his shirt off, a move which he weighed in afterwards. "Maybe I should have kept my shirt on," he wrote.

Maksim, who was eliminated in the third week, will be assisting Joanna with the three routines for the Monday, October 19 live performance. The pairs are required to choose between Paso Doble and Argentine Tango, and perform a Hustle group dance.

The catch is, Joanna expressed at the beginning of the competition that she was glad she was not paired to Maksim. "I'm actually really happy we didn't because Maks, you know, gets a little impatient and really pushes you, so maybe we would've had a little argument here and there!" she told TV Guide.

Another interview was conducted with Maksim who commented, "She doesn't even know me. I'm very happy we're not partners. If she wants to jump on the bandwagon of thinking I'm impatient, that's fine by me. My focus is Debi [Mazar]. It's silly of [Joanna] to say that since she's never said a word to me."